Resilient locking tangs 2, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, have been used to retain electrical terminals 4 within terminal cavities 6 of connector bodies 8. These locking tangs 2 have been found to have several drawbacks. The features of stamping dies that are used to form these locking tangs 2 have been found to require a great deal of die maintenance since these features tend to wear rather quickly. Further, the locking tangs 2 cause a variation in terminal location within the terminal cavity 6 because of the over travel required to assure locking of the locking tang 1 when the electrical terminal 4 is inserted into the terminal cavity 6. Additionally, there may be a wide variance in the insertion force required to seat the electrical terminal 4 within the terminal cavity 6. This has been found to be especially prevalent in smaller terminals, i.e. having a diameter of 0.5 mm or less. Therefore a method for securing a terminal within a connector housing reduces or eliminates these issues is desired.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.